Mchakama

Our work in Mchakama

Since we began working with Mchakama village in 2008, our work has consisted of raising awareness about community based forest management, forest conservation and natural resource governance. We have helped the community form a Village Natural Resource Committee (VNRC), develop village land use plans and demarcate boundaries for the Village Land Forest Reserve (VLFR). Because Mchakama is participating in our REDD pilot project, we have also spent a significant amount of time raising awareness about REDD with both the VNRC and across the entire community.

We have collected baseline socio-economic and governance data from Mchakama so that we can monitor changes overtime from participating in the REDD project. We have also established tree and soil sample plots that we will use to monitor carbon changes over time. Most recently, we began awareness raising and training on fire management, which will be a key aspect of reducing drivers of deforestation in Mchakama village. We have also begun to introduce the concept of biodiversity monitoring, setting up systems where community members can assist in monitoring changes in biodiversity over time.

More about Mchakama Village

Mchakama village has a population of roughly 1,313 people. The Mavuji River runs through the villages’ VLFR. Similar to most of the villages MCDI works with, agriculture is the main source of income for most community members; however, they also rely on the surrounding forests for honey, timber, firewood and grass for thatching.